TITLE:
Internalized symptoms in adolescence as predictors of mental health in adulthood in the Northern Swedish cohort
AUTHORS:
Helen R. Winefield, Anne Hammarström, Karina Nygren, Bruno Hägglöf
KEYWORDS:
Mental Health; Internalizing Symptoms; Adolescence; Middle Adulthood
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.7,
July
24,
2013
ABSTRACT: Although mental health symptoms in
children and adolescents are shown to predict young adult mental health
outcomes, long-term prospective studies of childhood cohorts are few. The aim
of the present study was to analyze the prospective importance of internalized
mental health symptoms in adolescence for internalized symptoms in adulthood. Methods: A community-based prospective
longitudinal cohort provided information by questionnaire about psychological
status at age 16 and 43 (n=1010, representing 94.3% of those still alive).
Socio-demographic variables which were indicative
of possible childhood adversity (parental class, absence, illness, unemployment,
relationship, crowding, number of moves) were treated as confounders and
controlled for in ordinal regression. Results:
For both women and men, internalizing mental health symptoms reported at 16
significantly predicted the same outcome at 43 years, after controlling for
previous adverse environmental conditions (OR =1.2 for women, 1.3 for men). Conclusion: In this representative
cohort studied over 27 years with
excellent retention rates, the occurrence of self-reported worry, panic and
sadness in mid-adolescence significantly increased the likelihood of similar states in middle adulthood.